Modular Detoxification Garment

ABSTRACT

A modular detoxification garment includes an upper garment member having a shoulder supported portion and opposed sleeve members extending laterally away from the shoulder supported section and an upper torso section connected to and extending downwardly from the shoulder supported section terminating at a lower edge. The shoulder supported portion defines an opening through which the head of the wearer is selectively received. The detoxification garment includes a lower garment member having a waist section separated from the lower edge of the upper garment member and a pair of upper leg sections extending downwardly therefrom, the lower garment member being configured to selectively cover a lower torso and upper legs of the wearer. A temperature probe is situated proximate an inner layer of the upper garment member. A thermochromic material that is color responsive to temperature is situated on an outer layer of the upper garment member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to exercise garments and, more particularly, to adetoxification garment that includes modular components that give a usermany options of how much of his body is covered or exposed and indicatesa relative temperature inside the garment.

It is almost universally agreed that losing weight should include abalance of proper diet and exercise. With specific regard to exercise,it is also believed that burning calories through vigorous exercise andby losing water weight through sweating are keys to the exercisecomponent for weight loss. Some people, however, choose to lose weightby inducing perspiration in a hot sauna rather than vigorouslyexercising.

One disadvantage of the sauna approach to inducing sweating is that asauna may not be readily available for use and may require a specialtrip to a gym or other exercise facility on a regular basis. Otherpeople may seek to induce sweating through normal exercise while wearinga sweat suit (often referred to as a “pair of sweats”). Although wearingsweat pants or a sweatshirt may eventually induce sweating, the sweatingmay not be nearly as thorough, consistent, or long lasting as may beobtained in an actual sauna. In addition, wearing traditional sweats maybe difficult to slide on and off in order to stay comfortable and maynot be as effective to induce sufficient perspiration to lose weightquickly. In addition, true detoxification suits that induce hightemperatures for maximum sweat induction may, in fact, cause dangerouslyhigh heat levels.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a modular detoxificationgarment that includes modular components that are easy to attach andremove as desired. Further, it would be desirable to have a modulardetoxification garment constructed of materials that induceperspiration. In addition, it would be desirable to have a modulardetoxification garment having a thermochromic element that indicates atemperature inside the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A modular detoxification garment for use in inducing perspiration by awearer of the garment includes an upper garment member having a shouldersupported portion and opposed sleeve members extending laterally awayfrom the shoulder supported section and an upper torso section connectedto and extending downwardly from the shoulder supported sectionterminating at a lower edge. The upper garment member is configured tosubstantially cover the upper torso and arms of a wearer. The shouldersupported portion defines an opening through which the head of thewearer is selectively received. The detoxification garment includes alower garment member having a waist section separated from the loweredge of the upper garment member and a pair of upper leg sectionsconnected to the waist section and extending downwardly therefrom, thelower garment member being configured to selectively cover a lower torsoand upper legs of the wearer. A temperature probe is situated proximatean inner layer of the upper garment member. A thermochromic materialthat is color responsive to temperature is situated on an outer layer ofthe upper garment member.

Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a modulardetoxification garment for use in inducing perspiration by a wearer ofthe garment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a modular detoxificationgarment, as aforesaid, having modular components that are easy for auser to put on and to selectively remove, as desired.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a modulardetoxification garment, as aforesaid, that indicates an internaltemperature so that a user can monitor the temperature inside thegarment as a safety precaution.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a modulardetoxification garment, as aforesaid, having at least one temperatureprobe situated inside an upper garment member that is connected to athermochromic material configured to indicate the temperature detectedby the probe.

A further object of this invention is to provide a modulardetoxification garment, as aforesaid, that is attractive and in the formof a conventional exercise garment.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration andexample, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular detoxification garmentaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the garment as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the garment as in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A modular detoxification garment according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention will now be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings. The modular detoxificationgarment 10 includes an upper garment member 20 configured to selectivelycover a wearer's upper torso and a lower garment member 40 configured toselectively cover a wearer's lower torso and legs. The modulardetoxification garment 10 also includes a temperature sensing member 60configured to visually indicate a relative heat present at an interiorarea of the garment.

The upper garment member 20 is best understood to be in the form of ajacket but with further limitations as discussed below. Moreparticularly, the upper garment member 20 includes a shoulder supportedportion 22 that defines an opening 24 configured to selectively receivethe head of a wearer therethrough (FIG. 1). Opposed sleeve members 26are connected to lateral portions of the shoulder supported portion 22and extend laterally away from the shoulder supported portion 22. Inaddition, the upper garment member 20 may include an upper torso section28 connected to the should supported portion 22 and extending downwardlytherefrom. The upper torso section 28 may terminate at a lower edge 30proximate the waist of a user when worn. Accordingly, the upper garmentmember 20 is configured to substantially cover the upper torso and armsof a user when worn thereby.

In some embodiments, the upper torso section 28 includes a left frontportion 32 and a right front portion 34 that may be selectively coupledtogether with a fastener 36 such as a zipper, snaps, claps, hook andloop material, or the like. It is understood that the upper torsosection 28 in this embodiment is movable between an open configurationwhen the fastener 36 is disengaged (not shown) and a closedconfiguration when the fastener 36 is engaged (FIG. 1). In anotherembodiment, the upper torso section 28 may have an integrated andcontinuous construction that is not variable between open and closedconfigurations (now shown). In such an embodiment, the upper garmentmember 20 is worn by pulling it over the user's head and inserting thehead through the opening 24.

The lower garment member 40 is separate from the upper garment member 20and includes a waist section 42 proximate but not attached to the loweredge 30 of the upper torso section 28 when the upper and lower garmentmembers are worn by a person. The waist section 42 does not include anelastic band but rather is adjusted to the size of a wearer as will bedescribed below in more detail. A pair of upper leg sections 44 areconnected to and extend downwardly from the waist section 42, i.e. aleft leg section and a right leg section, and terminate at an upper legsection lower end 46 (respective upper leg section lower ends may alsobe referred to as leg section lower edges). The waist section 42 andupper leg sections 44 are preferably in the form of pants and areconfigured to substantially cover the lower torso and upper legs of auser when the lower garment member 40 is worn.

The waist section 42 and upper leg sections 44 are configured to beattached to a user's torso without the user having to “slip them on” ina traditional manner for pants. More particularly, the lower garmentmember 40 includes a front portion 48 and a back portion (not shown butis a minor image of the front portion). Further, a quick releasefastener 50, such as complementary hook and loop fasteners may besituated on the front portion 48 and back portion to enable the waistsection 42 and upper leg sections to be selectively coupled together orseparated. Even more specifically, one or both lateral side edges of thefront and back portions may include fasteners. In use, the front 48 andback portions may be positioned on the front and back of a user's body,respectively, and coupled together with the fasteners without having toslide the user's legs through leg portions in a traditional manner ofputting on pants. With this construction, the waist section 42 may beadjusted for tightness about the waist of a user.

The lower garment member 40 may also include a pair of lower legsections 52 that are removably coupled to lower ends 46 of the upper legsections 44 (FIG. 5). The lower leg sections 52 may be coupled torespective upper leg sections 44 with a fastener 54 such as a zipper,snaps, clasps, hook and loop material, or the like such that attachmentand removal is quick and convenient. It is understood that a user mayprefer to use the modular detoxification garment 10 without the lowerleg sections 52 in that perspiration by the lower legs or feet may bedeemed ineffective or otherwise undesirable.

Both the upper detoxification garment 10 and the lower detoxificationgarment 10 include a multi-layer construction that is configured toinduce an enhanced level of perspiration by a user when wearing thegarments than would be expected when wearing other traditional exerciseclothing. With specific reference to the sectional view of the upperdetoxification garment 10 shown in FIG. 6, the garment may include aninner layer 70 of a soft material such as cotton (the inner layer alsoreferred to as an inner surface). While the inner layer 70 maycontribute to the inducement of perspiration, it is primarily includedto provide comfort to a wearer of the garment 10. Each of the garmentmembers 10, 40 may also include an outer layer 72 (which may also bereferred to as a heat retention layer) that is constructed of agenerally non-conductive material. The non-conductive material may beplastic, vinyl, or a composite material that resists heat transfer. Itis understood that the material is also generally flexible such that auser wearing the modular detoxification garment 10 is not substantiallylimited in his range of motion.

The temperature sensing member 60 includes a temperature probe portion62 that is situated proximate an inner layer 70 of the upper garmentmember 20 (FIG. 6). The temperature sensing member 60 also includes athermochromic portion 64 that is color responsive to temperaturesituated on an outer layer 72 of the upper garment member 20.

The thermochromic portion 64 is operably connected to the probe portion62 such that a temperature detected by the probe portion 62 iscommunicated efficiently to the thermochromic portion 64 such as througha conductive element. The thermochromic portion 64 may be configured tochange colors according to different temperatures detected thereby. Forinstance, the thermochromic portion 64 may include a green color whenthe temperature inside the garment is cool, a yellow color when thetemperature inside the garment is warm, and a red color when thetemperature inside the garment is hot.

As shown in the drawings, the temperature sensing member 60 may besituated on one of the opposed sleeve members 26 such that a user mayconveniently view the color indicators merely be raising his arm in amanner similar to viewing a wristwatch. In addition, an auxiliarytemperature sensing member 60 a may be situated on the upper garmentmember 20 at a position displaced from the temperature sensing member 60such that an interior temperature at a second location may be observedand compared with the temperature indicated by the temperature sensingmember 60.

In use, a user who desires to perspire in order to lose weight may puton the modular detoxification garment as described above. Specifically,the upper garment member 20 may be pulled over the user's head orfastened in front, as the case may be. The lower garment member 40 maybe wrapped around the front and back of a user's lower torso and thenfastened at the side. The natural heat generated by the user's body andas may be caused by the inner layer is not able to pass through the heatretention layer such that the temperature within the respective garmentincreases and perspiration is induced. The user is able to monitor thetemperature by visually observing the temperature sensing member 60. Thecolor of the temperature sensing member 60 is indicative of the relativeheat inside the respective garments and the user may choose to removesome or all of the modular elements. For instance, the lower legsections 52 may be selectively removed, the upper garment memberfastener 36 may be opened, the upper garment member 20 may be completelyremoved, or the like.

It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have beenillustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar assuch limitations are included in the following claims and allowablefunctional equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular detoxification garment for use ininducing perspiration by a wearer of the garment, said detoxificationgarment comprising: an upper garment member having a shoulder supportedportion and opposed sleeve members connected to and extending laterallyaway from said shoulder supported section, said upper garment memberhaving an upper torso section connected to and extending downwardly fromsaid shoulder supported section terminating at a lower edge; whereinsaid upper garment member is configured to selectively cover an uppertorso and arms of the wearer; wherein said shoulder supported portiondefines an opening through which a head of the wearer is selectivelyreceived; a lower garment member having a waist section separated fromsaid lower edge of said upper garment member and a pair of upper legsections connected to and extending downwardly from said waist section,said lower garment member being configured to selectively cover a lowertorso and upper legs of the wearer; a temperature sensing member havinga probe portion situated proximate an inner layer of said upper garmentmember and a thermochromic portion that is color responsive totemperature situated on an outer layer of said upper garment member andoperably coupled to said probe portion.
 2. The modular detoxificationgarment as in claim 1, wherein said lower garment member includes a pairof lower leg sections removably coupled to lower edges of respectiveupper leg sections.
 3. The modular detoxification garment as in claim 1,wherein: said upper garment member includes a heat retention layerconstructed of a non-conductive material that resists heat transfer; andsaid lower garment member includes a heat retention layer constructed ofa non-conductive material that resists heat transfer.
 4. The modulardetoxification garment as in claim 3, wherein said non-conductivematerial is plastic.
 5. The modular detoxification garment as in claim1, wherein said upper torso section includes: a left front portion; aright front portion; and a zipper extending between said shouldersupported section opening and said upper torso section lower edge thatis configured to selectively couple said left front portion to saidright front portion such that said upper torso section is movablebetween a closed configuration when said fastener is engaged and an openconfiguration when said fastener is disengaged.
 6. The modulardetoxification garment as in claim 5, wherein: said upper garment memberis a jacket; and said lower garment member is pants.
 7. The modulardetoxification garment as in claim 1, wherein said temperature sensingmember is situated proximate one of said opposed sleeve members.
 8. Themodular detoxification garment as in claim 7, further comprising anauxiliary temperature sensing member situated on said upper torsosection displaced from said temperature sensing member, said auxiliarytemperature sensing member having an auxiliary temperature probe portionsituated proximate an inner layer of said upper torso section and anauxiliary thermochromic portion that is color responsive to temperaturesituated on an outer layer of said upper torso section and operablycoupled to said auxiliary probe portion.
 9. The modular detoxificationgarment as in claim 1, wherein said lower garment member includes afront portion and a back portion removably coupled to said front portionwith at least one quick release fastener.
 10. The modular detoxificationgarment as in claim 9, wherein said at least one quick release fastenerincludes complementary hook and loop fasteners coupled to respectiveside edges of respective front and back portions of said lower garmentmember.
 11. The modular detoxification garment as in claim 2, whereinsaid pair of lower leg sections is removably coupled to said pair ofupper leg sections, respectively, with zippers.